Evening settled over Kuoh, painting the sky in warm shades of orange and violet. Lights blinked on across the town as crowds gathered and corporate slaves were released from their glass prisons. The sound of passing cars and distant chatter mixed with the quiet rustle of trees.
The evening was when most people went out to relax and unwind after a long day of work. It was also the hour when shady people began to stir. Yusuke walked the streets with his hands in his pockets, eyes darting left and right. He looked around quietly as if searching for something.
"How am I supposed to live with just this?" Yusuke muttered to himself as he touched the ten thousand yen note in his pocket. This was all the money he had left. He didn't inherit much cash from his father, and whatever remained had already been spent by the previous host on daily life. Now, after one week, only ten thousand yen remained.
He had tried to find a job during this time but still came up empty. He was so desperate that he even began to consider selling his apartment just to continue his school life. Fortunately, after completing the quests, he came up with a decent idea for a job. Now, he was out looking for potential 'customers'.
Yusuke wandered into the bar district, where neon lights and loud music filled the air. The night had just begun, but drunkards were already stumbling around. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, he had spotted something.
The five Yankees lounged in the alley behind an old convenience store, half-lit by a flickering sign above. Empty cans clinked as someone kicked one over.
"You heard about that girl who vanished near the train tracks?" Sho asked, chewing on a toothpick. "Third one this month."
"Yeah," Goro muttered, leaning against the wall. "Police found her phone. Smashed to pieces. There were no traces of blood or her body."
Kenji shook his head. "People keep saying it's a cult. Bullshit if you ask me. Cops just don't wanna admit they got nothin'."
"Could be worse," said Daisuke, lighting a smoke. "My cousin swears he saw something crawl outta the river last night. Said it had red eyes."
"You believe that crap?" Ryo scoffed. "River monsters? Come on."
"Then explain the footprints they found. Big ones, they didn't look like animals or humans either."
Sho tossed his toothpick aside. "This town's gettin' messed up, man. Ain't just rumors anymore."
Kenji gave a dry laugh. "Yeah? You scared now?"
Ryo stood up and cracked his knuckles. "Whatever it is... if it shows up in front of me, I'll beat the truth out of it."
Clang!
The sharp sound of an empty can being kicked suddenly interrupted the five punks' discussion. Startled, Sho's head snapped toward the noise. But when he saw the culprit, he cursed, "Crazy bastard! Do you want to die!?"
The other four looked up, their eyes settling on the tall and fit young man who had appeared. They glanced at each other and burst into loud snickers.
"Oi, you scared us!" Daisuke threw off the cigarette and walked over with his chest puffed, "My heart nearly stopped, you know? That's emotional damage, brat."
Kenji stood up, brushing off his pants. "Medical bills aren't cheap. Are you planning to pay up or what?"
'What should I do now? Beat them up and take the money?' Yusuke stood a few meters away, hands still in his pockets, staring at them with a blank expression.
Sho cracked his neck. "Empty your pockets and we'll let you walk out with your teeth."
Yusuke blinked at them, then let out a slow sigh.
"Oh no, I really messed up, huh?" he said, "Scaring five grown men in a dark alley... I must be a monster."
He took a step forward, "You're right. I should pay your medical bills. Right after you pay me for wasting my time. Street tax, emotional compensation, and mental strain from listening to your voices."
"Hahahaha! This guy is interesting!"
"Punk! Did you still not realize your situation?!"
"Do you want to die?!"
His words made the five Yankee punks pause, but they soon burst into laughter.
"Agh! Bastard!"
"Ayyy!"
"Mama!!"
"Stop! It hurts!"
"Yamete kudasai!"
"Kimochi dayo~"
However, their laughter was quickly drowned out by sudden cries of pain.
A few minutes later, Yusuke walked out of the alley counting the money. "Tsk, poor bastards." After 'educating' them, the 'fees' he collected only added up to around forty-three thousand yen.
"Well, that'll do for now," Yusuke said as he stuffed the money into his pocket and headed back home. The income wasn't bad, forty-three thousand yen(300$), in a single day was decent. The only problem was that he'd need to find new customers every day.
'Maybe I can try to find some yakuza guys. I bet they have more money.' Tasting the sweetness of easy cash, Yusuke pondered as he walked through a park on his way home. A bold idea suddenly crossed his mind. 'Or maybe I should try to rob a bank? Nah, that's dumb and dangerous. A jewelry store is easier, but I don't have any channel to sell the stolen stuff.'
"That's not sustainable. I need to find a way to make money using my strength," he muttered to himself. "Maybe I could become an athlete. A boxer or football player and go pro in Europe. The healing skill could make me a ton of money too, but I'd need a license. This isn't a Chinese novel, after all."
Yusuke looked around the park with his hands in his pockets. It was late evening now, but strangely, the entire park was completely deserted.
[There is someone following you.] The system suddenly informed him.
'Is it another stalker girl?' A creepy feeling crept into Yusuke's chest. He stopped walking and slowly looked around. He could feel someone staring at him, but it wasn't the usual gaze of an infatuated yandere he had gotten used to, it was a malicious one.
[It's a man.]
"This is rare. To meet someone like you in a place like this." A man stepped out from behind a tree. He wore a suit and looked to be in his middle age, with short black hair and sharp dark blue eyes.
Yusuke felt his body tense just from meeting his gaze. This man's eyes radiated pure hostility like he were looking at something he wanted to kill. 'What's the deal with this bastard? Is he one of the Yankees' friends?'
"What a strange human. Your magic power is far stronger than that of normal people." The man walked closer, speaking slowly. But then his expression twisted into one of disgust. "There is a stench of devils on you. It seems you have some connection to them."
"Who are you?" Yusuke asked cautiously as he took a few steps back, putting more distance between them.
His magic power was far stronger than other people? Was he talking about his spirit stat?
If so, how did that man know? Could it be that he was unknowingly leaking it, exposing himself without realizing it?
And what did he mean by saying he had the stench of devils? He didn't have any close relationships with any devils. The only devil he knew was Tsubaki Shinra, and they weren't even that close, yet.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, two black wings burst from the man's back, stretching wide. With a loud flapping sound, black feathers scattered through the air.
A blue spear of light formed in his hand as he spoke, "Blessed humans like you are a threat to us fallen angels. It's better to eliminate your kind early." He pointed the spear at Yusuke and declared, "I, Dohnaseek, shall take your life. You should feel honored!"
"Wings!? What in the flying fuck!?" Yusuke shouted, then spun around and ran as fast as he could.
Swoosh!
His speed was eight times faster than normal. He was even faster than a sports car. In just a few seconds, he covered hundreds of meters. However, just then, Yusuke felt a tingling sensation from behind. Instinctively, he twisted his torso to the left, and at that exact moment, a blue spear of light shot past him, tearing through his clothes before slamming into the ground ahead.
Boom!
"Damn, that's dangerous! Why the hell am I attracting such a crazy bastard?!" Yusuke shouted, breaking into a cold sweat as he saw the hole in the ground. Without slowing down, he kept running.
Because of the trauma Murayama left him with, Yusuke had developed an exaggerated fear of supernatural beings. In his head, they were all invincible monsters. Even though he had grown much stronger, his instincts still told him there was no way he could win against one.
"He dodged it? Strange... why is this human so fast?" Dohnaseek muttered as he flapped his wings and took to the air, chasing after Yusuke while hurling more spears of light.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Damn it! Am I really going to die here?" Yusuke shouted as he clumsily dodged the incoming spears, running like hell. He glanced back and saw the man flying after him, hurling yet another glowing spear. If he had known that going out tonight would attract some insane bastard trying to kill him, he would've just stayed home and kept Aika and Murayama close!
He was already missing their soft bodies and obsessive eyes!
[Host, what are you doing?] The system's cold voice rang in his ears, sounding genuinely bewildered and confused.
'Running for my fucking life, obviously!' Yusuke replied anxiously.
[Are you fucking dumb?! Wait, no, you are fucking dumb!]
The system shouted in frustration. She sounded so angry that if she had a body, she probably would have slapped him into orbit.
[Have you not sensed it yet? Have you forgotten how strong you are now? Stop running like a coward and fight back!]
'But he's a damn fallen angel! Did you not see those wings and that spear of light? How the hell am I supposed to fight that?' Yusuke yelled back in his head as he narrowly dodged another spear.
But strangely, after hearing the system's shout, his panic started to fade. He began to assess the situation more clearly.
Honestly, no one could blame him for panicking. It was like giving a guy a gun he had never used, and then dropping a lion in front of him. Of course, he'd run instead of shooting.
As he focused, he realized something. The fallen angel was actually pretty slow compared to him. The attacks were easier to dodge now that he was calm. With agility and reaction speed eight times faster than normal people, Yusuke began to feel the odds might not be so hopeless after all.
...
If you'd like to support me and read chapters in advance, feel free to check out my Patreon:
https://patreon.com/ImmortalCockroach